re: What Are You Getting Your Mom for Christmas ?

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I’m an orphan.

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7s, this reminded me of something that happened after my Dad died. I was 50 years old and the oldest of the 5 siblings. I traveled to Fla. for his wake and funeral. I was standing outside the funeral parlor smoking a cigarette getting ready to go inside. One of my sisters (third in line) arrived and told me to quit smoking and said, let’s go in.

As we were walking through the vestibule to the room where the wake was being held she said to me, “you know what this means, don’t you?” I said “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She timed it perfectly so that as I crossed the threshold of the room where my Dad’s open casket was she said, “We’re half orphans now.” I burst out laughing as I entered the room and everyone just stared at me. My Mom was at the casket with a nun. As I walked over she just kind of stared at me and said, “Sister, this is my eldest, the lawyer from DC.” I was a bit embarrassed, decided that the explanation of what happened wouldn’t be as funny to them, and smiled because my Dad would have appreciated it.

On topic, my Mom would get annoyed if I spent money on her. I usually wrote her a letter on her birthday and holidays. I’d send flowers from time to time and I’d always get a call telling me that I should not have spent any money on her. We all visited her on her 93rd birthday in December 2019, she died the following month.

If you still have your parents, try to spend time with them - your presence is their best gift.

If your Mom lives where winters are cold and she's in a house that was built more than 20some years ago, get her a heated toilet seat and install it.

Get her something nice, too, but I can guarantee she'll love the toilet seat for six months or so per year. Then change it out in April or May and re do it next fall.